How to listen to David Bowie in chronological order

[What Hi-Fi?]

We've mapped out Bowie's hundreds of releases in order to help you navigate his catalogue in chronological order.

How to listen to David Bowie in chronological order : Read more

 

[Neiljbp]

I have done this a couple of years ago.
All albums in order.
There are two things you notice .
1... There are not as many great tracks as you think there are.
2... If you divide his albums at the half way point, the first half of his career contain all the albums
you would want to listen to or try out.
The second half of his records, around the 1983 period onwards, are all pretty much awful.
The problem with a great name like David Bowie is that people are far too generous with their views on the said albums brilliance (or otherwise) probably because they do not want to contradict the normal response people have to Bowie.
Try to think of it like this......
If any album after 1983 was to have been released by a different artist, just starting out in the industry, then it would have been completely ignored.
Once your reputation is established, you can release any old nonsense and as long as money can be made, the record company will not really care, and neither will the fans by and large...........

 

[atters]

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1GDoAcgFQl0mtwL6Zn8LIH?si=twWiMHxVSgCoAreH0k_-9Q

Here's my take, another 20 hours or so

 

[user name is already take]

Terrible job What Hi-Fi, you have included non-MQA copies of some tracks where a hi-res version is available, for example, the title track fom the Lust For Life album is off some naff compilation, whereas the remaining tracks are from the MQA recording of the album. You're supposed to be a Hi-Fi magazine, so perhaps you want to go back and fix this, to allay the suspicion I have had for some time that most of your reviewers have cloth ears and don't know what they are talking about!

 

[user name is already take]

I have done this a couple of years ago.
All albums in order.
There are two things you notice .
1... There are not as many great tracks as you think there are.
2... If you divide his albums at the half way point, the first half of his career contain all the albums
you would want to listen to or try out.
The second half of his records, around the 1983 period onwards, are all pretty much awful.
The problem with a great name like David Bowie is that people are far too generous with their views on the said albums brilliance (or otherwise) probably because they do not want to contradict the normal response people have to Bowie.
Try to think of it like this......
If any album after 1983 was to have been released by a different artist, just starting out in the industry, then it would have been completely ignored.
Once your reputation is established, you can release any old nonsense and as long as money can be made, the record company will not really care, and neither will the fans by and large...........

You are overlooking some great later albums, such as 1. Outside

 

[Neiljbp]

You are overlooking some great later albums, such as 1. Outside

If I had intended to overlook any albums, I would never have taken on the vast task of listening in the first place. There would have been no point.
I'm not saying there are not several tracks worth hearing after 1983, but it really is needle in a haystack time.
If you would like to take Outside to a desert island, then by all means do so. Just please don't reside on the island next to mine, where I will be playing something from between 1969 and 1979 and probably earlier rather than later.
All the best.

 

[manicm]

Firstly, this article is a bloody mess. Can the editors make sense of it? The writer must have been on hallucinogens.

Secondly, to another poster, Bowie did kick off the 80s with the excellent Scary Monsters, and the very good - imho - Let’s Dance. Singles apart, the rest of his 80s albums were just poor.

Third, to a poster singing the praises of Outside - Bowie confessed it’s such a scary album he himself couldn’t listen to it anymore.

Fourth, again pointed to the ‘needle in a haystack’ poster - Heathen was a great album. And Earthling was vastly underrated if anyone besides a critic cared to listen.

 

[Neiljbp]

Firstly, this article is a bloody mess. Can the editors make sense of it? The writer must have been on hallucinogens.

Secondly, to another poster, Bowie did kick off the 80s with the excellent Scary Monsters, and the very good - imho - Let’s Dance. Singles apart, the rest of his 80s albums were just poor.

Third, to a poster singing the praises of Outside - Bowie confessed it’s such a scary album he himself couldn’t listen to it anymore.

Fourth, again pointed to the ‘needle in a haystack’ poster - Heathen was a great album. And Earthling was vastly underrated if anyone besides a critic cared to listen.

You are correct, Bowie did make the very fine Scary Monsters in early (1980).
What I said was pretty much everything (from 1983 onwards) (not 1980 onwards)

Heathen is certainly the best album from 1983 onwards, but it certainly cannot compete with pre 1980.

Hope this helps to clarify the situation.

 

[Leon Martin]

As an ardent Bowie fan starting in the very early seventies I’d have to agree very much with Neiljbo. Although I’d wait in eager anticipation for each new release I would inevitably be left deeply disappointed. The two exceptions would be 1.outside and Blackstar. The later is IMO one of his finest.